Pasta products are generally prepared by first combining wheat flour with water and mixing to form a dough. The dough mixture is then extruded through a die and the extrudate dried under controlled temperature and humidity. Drying is typically accomplished at temperatures of up to 75.degree. C. and relative humidity of up to 85%. To prevent cracking and breaking the rate of drying is generally relatively slow. Since the protein and starch of the dried product remain in their natural state, then prior to consumption the product must be cooked wherein the protein is denatured and the starch gelatinized. One of the major draw back of dried pasta is uneven cooking which generally result in the central core of the pasta containing a substantial amount of undenatured protein and ungelatinized starch.
Attempts to overcome this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,214 by Winter et al, wherein the dough is extruded at a moisture of between 28% and 40% into lengths to form a cut product having wall thickness of between 0.3 to 0.7 mm and wherein the product is simultaneously cooked and dried by exposure to dry super-heated steam in the absence of water, resulting in a rapidly rehydratable product. The product resulting therefrom, however, still does not exhibit the texture and flavor of freshly made pasta.
Other attempts to improve the quality of pasta is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,199 by Hsu wherein flour is mixed with from 15 to 33% water based on the weight of the flour to form a dough. The dough is then extruded through a pasta die provided with at least three superimposed nozzles for forming dough sheets, and the extruded, superimposed dough sheets are compressed into one dough sheet which is then cut to form the desired pasta shape.
In the case of stuffed pasta such as ravioli, tortellini, cannelloni and the like, long standing problems such as the inability to preserve the stuffed pasta in a good state for a certain period of time has been unresolved. Several processes have been developed to insure that neither the outer shell portion nor the inner stuffing which generally constitute meat, greens, cheese and other suitable stuffing, undergo deterioration between production and consumption. One process utilized to obtain longer storage time consists of utilizing special driers. This process, however, proved unsatisfactory. Other attempts such as freezing and overfreezing the stuffed pastas into special cooling equipment; canning of the product and subsequently processing in an autoclave; and using germicide lamps or irradiations, for example gamma rays, emitted by radioactive isotopes, all proved to be impractical and uneconomical.
Generally, the products which have undergone normal drying can only be stored for short periods of time which varies based on the composition of the stuffing and the conditions underwhich the product was prepared. However, even if proper drying of the outer casing is achieved, longer term storage would be limited mainly because of the composition of the stuffing. Attempts to overcome this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,281,248 by Fioravanti et al, wherein stuffed pasta shells are immersed into a liquid selected from water, broth and a mixture of water and oil, said liquid having a temperature of from 65.degree. to 120.degree. C. for a period of time ranging from 1 to 240 seconds, followed by removing the stuffed shell from the liquid and heating same to temperatures ranging from 70.degree. to 225.degree. C. for a period of time ranging from 30 seconds to 30 minutes. It is believed, however, that the resulting product hereof produces a dough casing with a hard marble-like consistency. U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,850 on the other hand subjects the filled shell to a high moisture and temperature environment followed by drying same until the dough casing reaches a pre-determined moisture content. The dried product is then packaged under vacuum and again subjected to a high temperature environment to produce a filled dough package product with extended stability without developing signs of deterioration, and mold etc. None of these references, however, teaches maintaining freshness in texture, appearance and taste of a pasta product over extended period of time.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a fresh stuffed pasta product that maintains its freshness for extended periods of time.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for preserving fresh stuffed pasta which maintains its freshness for extended periods of time.